CHAPTER XIII
The Treaty of Sevres. The Storm Bursts,
1920
IRRITATED by this show of resistance on the part
of a defeated enemy, the Allies decided to teach
the Turks a lesson. The British Commander,
General Sir George Milne, had some idea of the strength
of the Nationalists. The French from their Cilician
experiences had more. The Embassies had very little
and the Allied Premiers in Paris had no conception at
all of the situation that now faced them. They did
not realize that they were dealing with a live force and
not with the decrepit relics of the old Ottoman Empire.
Anatolia was not affected by an economic blockade, nor
did it care whether or not it was recognized as one
of the family of nations. It was only through Con-
stantinople that punishment could be inflicted, and it
was decided to occupy Constantinople officially on the
16th of March.
The occupation was to be carried out by Lieut-
General Sir Henry Wilson as the Officer Commanding
the Allied troops of the area. The French and Italian
Governments signed the instructions. Their depart-
ments in Paris and Rome held up the executive orders,
no